The Story
by KenRik
Summary: Ryosaku. The relationship of Ryoma and Sakuno throughout time. From university to when they reach their late thirties.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

A/N: Edited Version.

_"Tennis is amazing." Those words were the last Ryoma-kun told me before leaving for America._

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The Story

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You meet him again after five years spent apart. One was off defying the standards of normalcy while the other stayed rooted within it.

You realize you're finally turning eighteen yet still unsure of what path to take.

You realize you've been idle.

But then you pick up your tennis racket by the new grip tape you religiously replace due to constant use. And you think to yourself that it's going to be alright. That somehow, like always, you'll get by.

After a few months of careful assessment, you decide to go into university, taking a degree on the Bachelor of Arts. You're amazed. But nonetheless you've made it. You're amazed again. But nonetheless, you got in. It makes you think that you probably did well enough during high school in terms of academics. After all, you did become a university student in Tokyo.

Finally, the day comes when you first notice him while walking around your new campus. And as the sight dawns in, your eyes widen as you freeze in spot. He has become more handsome than ever. You later realize that the television did him no good. The media lied. Ryoma Echizen, he wasn't supposed to be this handsome.

But amidst this, you notice that he's three yards away. Also, that one fact that approaching an old friend could end up awkwardly because advancing towards someone who must've already forgotten about you is only a stalker's doing, or maybe your friend Tomoka's doing.

Your face eases after this thought. And with a small smile of thanks playing on your lips, you turn away and continue walking to your next class.

The days continue to go by. You've made a few good friends. You study and hope to pass your exams. Then after a week's almost over, you find yourself listening into the latest gossip. But you're used to it. You've practically grown numb to it. Ryoma Echizen was always a hot topic after all.

By mid semester, you've gotten into a sports club. It wasn't tennis, but you're contented. You've finally connected with someone; finally made a good friend. Then, out of the blue, while you're cleaning your dirty face in the washing areas by the badminton courts, you hear a familiar voice that seemed to deepen through time.

Yet you don't turn around. After all, you're used to hearing his voice everywhere.

"Excuse me."

He repeats himself. You think the heat's getting to you. But when you turn your gaze, you find him there. And he's smirking.

When he smirks, you know he's making fun of you.

"Echizen-san."

You think you softly called out to him, but in contrary, you merely stuttered incoherently. Amidst this though, his face lightens up. And he says,

"Mada mada dane."

Just with that one demeaning sentence, you know you'll end up to be good friends again.

And you do.

It takes time, but you're sure he likes being with you. You play tennis, talk about schoolwork, talk about him. That's all you do, yet you're more than contented. You've missed him. And now, you're slowly falling in love with this good friend of yours. But you shy away from the thought because just as always, you think it's impossible. Even to this day, you wonder why he ever approached you. You continue to question why he is beside you right now, smirking at a joke of a friend. So, one day, while having lunch with him, you go ahead and ask him.

"Why me?"

To which he suddenly looks at you from staring outside the window of the establishment. Your question, rather funnily, made him stop chewing his sandwich.

"What?" He returns your question with a raise of a brow.

"Well, why do you like hanging out with me?"

Ryoma just keeps staring at you incredulously.

"I don't think stuff like that were meant to be explained, Sakuno." He told her before taking a sip of his drink. "Besides, will you take it against me if I wanted to be with a familiar face?"

You can't help but smile bashfully at that. You realize, that even after all this time, Ryoma was still simple. He just knew how to cherish old friends.

"If you say so." You finally tell him, laughing a bit at how good grace can be for giving you a friend in someone you had always treasured. In front of you, Ryoma smirks.

"There you go again." He says suddenly.

"What?" You ask him, still with that smile.

"Laughing out of the blue."

Rather than answering back, you simply continue to laugh lightly. Before you, Ryoma simply takes another bite of his sandwich and looks at you. The corners of his mouth, lifting as well. Unbeknownst to you both, you spend your times together like this. Casual and at comfortable peace.

Because of this newly sown closeness towards the very person you had always idolized, you never date. And you always keep your schedule open for him.

You don't always laugh out loud. You don't always drink and hang out with other university students. But you like it. You like being with him.

One day, you ask him when he's going back to the courts. He turns to you to say he doesn't know; that he still hasn't made up his mind. He continues to tell you that he's entered university. He can't easily leave such serious studies. Then, amidst his ramblings, you smile suddenly. When he notices this, he stops and jokingly asks you if his plights amused you. You shake your head sideways and simply tell him,

"I'm just happy Ryoma-kun decided to get his college degree in Japan."

With that simple sentence, you share a gaze. You don't realize it, but the noise of the world has faded out. You don't realize it, but your body's suddenly frozen inanimately, excluding those light intakes of air you unconsciously take. And of everything, you see no other but him. And so does he.

For that one moment, you think this could be it. You think you can tell him how you feel. And you think he feels the same.

Just about the moment you think he'll kiss you, he freezes and later on withdraws. He mutters something under his breath and leaves.

Later on, you find out he's leaving for another world tournament.

When he comes back, everything was as it should be.

Time came when Ryoma left for the fifth time and this time for sure. You do your best to shut your raging emotions. You are afraid yet happy for the four years of college you've spent together. With a misleading smile, you see him off. Then, as you watch his figure fade into the distance, you wonder how long it'll take before you next see him again. But unlike before, it didn't really matter. You've changed. You've grown to let go of your very first love. But as always, you will never forget.

It takes three years, finally you get engaged. You're now twenty-five. The man you're engaged to lives near you. You see him every day. And this gives you comfort.

Today is your day off work and you decide to spend it downtown, inside your favorite coffee shop. There you pick up a copy of the day's newspaper. You first scan through the contents. Then your eyes widen. On the front page, in little bold letters, you see the line, "All-Time Tennis Legend Ryoma Echizen to leave ProTennis."

Your widened eyes return to normal and you simply cast a knowing smile. Finally, you think to yourself. Ryoma can rest.

After all this time, your love for him has never faltered. You don't allow yourself to forget. Because when you think you might do, the manner of which you admire Ryoma will waver. You don't want this because like everyone else, you believe he deserves it.

It takes two months later until you finally meet him again after all this time. You were dressed casually, in a party full of good friends. You were the first to notice him, but he was the first to approach. Time has not hampered your friendship. You congratulate him. You embrace him. You let go. And you grace him with a smile. You do your best to try batting those wretched tears working up on your eyes. You're pissed at yourself for not having better control.

Before you know it, Ryoma takes your hand and pulls you out to the veranda. Outside, the sun shone brightly. Inside, you hope it was evening so your mood could be easily directed to the beauty of the night.

As the both of you stand outside, none of you talk. You want to start first. You want to tell him you're engaged to a good; loving man. But the tears tempting to spill from your eyes and the choking feeling stuck on your throat hinders you.

Minutes pass by, finally you're better. Amidst this, you still opt to stay silent. And Ryoma shares this silence with you. You suddenly remember junior high. Your afternoons spent on the hot rooftops, on the cool grass, on park benches. You remember Ryoma and how much you love him.

You're afraid to let it slip, so you continue to keep quiet.

Suddenly, in the middle of your reverie, Ryoma talks. It was so unlike him, but those words he uttered were undeniably his. And you can't help but gawk and stare as he tells you,

"It's crazy, but all this time we were apart, I kept thinking I was missing something. Then, I realized I just missed you."

You're watching him intently and notice his face radiate.

"I came back for you." He tells you gently. His smooth voice was as deep as you last remember. "I just can't imagine myself with anyone else but you."

You love him.

But everything he says doesn't mean he loves you too. That's what you keep telling yourself.

Suddenly, and you don't know why, you tell him you love him.

"I love you." You said out loud. The face looking back at you turns into shock. You fail to notice it, but upon hearing this confession, the corner of Ryoma's lips lifted slowly. Then, as his handsome features started to ease, you continue to say. "You're very special to me." And you hastily add, "That's why I'd like for you to come to my wedding." You try to grin. "I've been engaged for two months now."

You can't read the expression on Ryoma's features. His face was blank until it turned into a solid glare.

"What?" He asks, his eyes clouding with confusion. He looks into your eyes, hoping you'll retract your words. And as you see him do, you bat away the water rushing to your eyes and bid him another smile.

"I mean I'd want to see you in my wedding." You laugh. "It would mean a lot to me."

Upon hearing this, all Ryoma could do was bid you a smile. He couldn't take it in himself to congratulate you. He didn't want to. But of course, you didn't know that.

Later on that night, you meet up with your fiancée. For him, you are dressed up for the night. You're having dinner at a fancy hotel. When you enter the restaurant, you see him immediately. He was not handsome. But he had a beautiful smile. And that was enough to fill your heart. You slowly make your way towards him with heavy steps. Suddenly, the guilt from harboring over a decade of love fell on your shoulders. This is why the moment you're in front of your fiancée, you uncharacteristically fall into his arms and hold him tight.

While holding him, you realize you want him. You realize you want to spend your whole life with him. And you realize, you want him to be the person to help you through your toughest burdens. When your emotions ease, you start to feel the gentle breeze of his breath tickle your neck. There you notice the warmth and security of his embrace. You've told him before of your first love. And you love him because he understood you, and still loved you all the same.

You hold him tighter before tenderly pulling away. Giving him a kiss on the lips, you later smile and your dinner starts.

Six months later, you're married. And throughout that time, amidst meeting Ryoma occasionally, he's never brought up your confession from that long time ago. And you are glad he didn't.

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**A/N: This is a two-part story. If you've read this before, you probably have a gist of what's going to happen. This story here is Sakuno's take while the sequel will be on Ryoma's. Ryoma's will be more in-depth and the genre will be more on romance/drama in his part. Anyway, feel free to tell me what you think. **

**Did you guys like my usage of "you" instead of "I"? Because if you didn't, I'll probably fix the sequel. Either way, I hope to hear from you!**


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